After years on the market, the historical
Casa Loma residence
in Temecula's Redhawk community could soon be sold.

The home, a 1920s-era hacienda on a large lot surrounded by smaller tract homes, is considered historical because it was built by the Vail family, owners of a large cattle operation that included much of present-day Temecula.

Listing agent Diana Rodriguez said this week there are two buyers who are seriously interested in the "home on a hill," or Casa Loma, that was built more than 90 years ago with expansive views of the Vails' pasture land.

Pikschus bought the house in the mid-1990s and spent thousands of dollars fixing up a residence that had been boarded up and neglected, according to members of the area's historical preservation community who are familiar with the property.

The home, which is the site of an estate sale this weekend, was built in the early 1920s by Mahlon Vail, the son of Southwest County pioneer Walter Vail of Vail Ranch fame.

It was modified in the 1960s by an owner who added a second floor, diluting the hacienda's historical significance.

Dick Fox, a member of the Temecula Valley Historical Society's board, said Thursday that he's heard conflicting reports in recent months about the home's future.

There was talk of a young buyer with four children who wants to make some modifications to make the home more family-friendly, and he said he's heard there's also an empty-nester who loves the historical nature of the building and wants to keep it mainly as is.

Ideally, he said, the property would be sold to someone who values the historical nature of the land and doesn't completely gut it.

"We're not asking for a whole lot," he said, adding that members of the area's historical preservation community are hoping to meet with the buyer to discuss the importance of the home.

As for the possibility of the society stepping in and buying the property for a museum, Fox said, "Oh, no. Absolutely not, no way."

Even though the price has dropped dramatically in recent years, the society does not have enough revenue to bankroll that sort of deal.

"Not even if it dropped down to $200,000," he said.

Fox said the home is on the city's list of historical properties, which means any major revision would get a bit more scrutiny than normal, but doesn't completely prevent modifications.

"It's a significant piece of Temecula's history ... it would be a shame to lose any part of that history," he said.

From the 1998 book,
"Temecula: At the Crossroads of History,"
by Phil Brigandi: "Mahlon Vail lived mostly in Los Angeles in the early days, where he was married in 1919. Not long after, in 1921, he built a fine Spanish-style home he called the Casa Loma on a hill overlooking both the Pauba and Wolf valleys."

A Fallbrook resident, Greg Boren, has sent out a host of emails to various members of the Temecula-area preservation community and county officials decrying the possibility of large-scale changes to the structure.

"The buyer should be made aware of the house's significance to the community, and issues with changing it," he wrote in an email that was sent to The Californian. "Ideally before escrow closes so if he can't change his plans, he can change his mind about buying a local treasure and butchering it."

Asked during a phone interview whether his views are shared by other folks, Boren said he didn't know.

Members of the historical society's board and
Vail Ranch Restoration Association
, a nonprofit that has worked to preserve the nearby Vail Ranch site at the corner of Temecula and Redhawk parkways, are hoping to meet with both the buyer, whoever it ends up being, to discuss the property.

Darell Farnbach, a founder of the association, said Friday that he's all for the private property rights of individuals but he said buying a home with historical significance is a unique situation.

"There is a certain responsibility that goes along with that property," he said, adding that he hopes the eventual owner considers the value of Casa Loma to the community at large.